Princess Diana's famed "revenge dress," a slinky Christina Stambolian creation worn to a Vanity Fair party in June 1994, is set to be auctioned at Sotheby's in New York on December 9. Auction house estimates place the sale price between $150,000 and $300,000.
![Princess Diana's "revenge dress" on a mannequin.]( "Princess Diana's "revenge dress" on a mannequin.")
The black silk dress, featuring an off-the-shoulder sweetheart neckline and a body-hugging draped skirt, gained its "revenge dress" moniker because Diana wore it on the same day her then-husband, Prince Charles, publicly acknowledged his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. The royal couple had been separated since December 1992.
Diana had commissioned the custom dress three years prior to wearing it to the Serpentine Gallery event, saving it for a significant moment. She paired the daring, above-the-knee design, which broke royal conventions against wearing black for non-mourning occasions, with a pearl and sapphire choker that was originally a brooch from the Queen Mother, Collingwood pearl-drop earrings, and a diamond-and-sapphire bracelet.
This marks the second time the dress has gone to auction. It was previously sold in July 1997 for £39,098, which was nearly $53,000 at the time. Sotheby's anticipates a significantly higher price in the upcoming sale.